An Unexpected Event
by Sci-Fi Nut
Summary: Things are going bump in the night at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. How is the Head Girl and the Snarky Potions Master involved? One-shot response to WIKTT 2 to 6 challenge.


Disclaimer:  Any recognizable characters, etc are the property of JK Rowling.  They aren't mine and no money is being made from this story. 

Author's Note:  This short story was a one-shot response to the '2 to 6 Challenge' issued by Rhitmcshanm at WIKTT a while back. I have listed the rules of the challenge as outlined on the WIKTT site at the end of the story. 

**An Unexpected Event**

A scream rent the silent night air, startling the young lady in the Head Girl's room awake. Eyes rapidly scanning the room, she searched for the source of the banshee howl. Seeing nothing moving within the room, she gently nudged her companion. Screams in the night were not unusual at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—what with the large population of ghosts and other fantastical beings, but something about this one made her tremble with fear. The one sharing her bed was still sound asleep. He made a sound very much like a sigh and shifted position, but other than that showed no signs of stirring. 

"Wake up!" Hermione Granger said, poking more firmly.

His eyes finally opened, and he opened his mouth as if to speak. The magical clock on the antique nightstand chimed 2:00AM and with an audible groan he rolled back over, ignoring the look of outrage on Hermione's face, and promptly returned to slumber. Thirty seconds later he bolted upright as a blast of arctic air ran the length of his naked body, sending his nerve endings into fits of frenzy. 

"And _what_ may I ask was the purpose of this?" he snarled, seeing Hermione's triumphant expression as she stood next to the bed holding her wand in one hand and the bed sheets in the other.

Another screech echoed throughout the empty corridors of the castle.

"_That_ was the purpose," she replied crossly, tossing his robes in his lap as she gathered her own.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger for waking a professor up and another five for doing so in such an uncivilized manner."

She adjusted the buttons on her shirt and grabbed her cloak before calmly replying, "And ten points from Slytherin, _professor,_ for failing to investigate a potential threat to students." The ear splitting screech sounded again as if to emphasize her point.

"You can't do that!" he growled, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the warmth of his body.

"I'm Head Girl, Severus.  I can reward and deduct points the same as you," she reminded him with an impish grin.

"That applies to students only. Not teachers," he said, eyebrow raised in challenge.

"I don't recall any such distinction mentioned in the responsibilities handout for the Head Boy and Head Girl," she quipped, placing a light kiss on his cheek.

A dark, menacing scowl was his only reply. 

She smiled remembering times when such an expression would have sent chills of fear down her spine.  However, since they had started seeing one another after the Christmas holidays, such looks no longer frightened her.  _'One more day, and I'll have graduated and we can see one another without fear of reprisal.'_  

"I will meet up with you at the stairwell on the main floor," he whispered just before casting a cloaking spell upon himself.  It would not do to allow the secret of their relationship to escape prematurely and the last thing he wanted was a bunch of dunderheaded Gryffindors squawking the tale like a bunch of magpies.

She merely nodded and opened the door.  The small breeze made by the sweeping of his robes was the only indication that he had moved ahead of her. Hermione quickly made her way to the main floor but not before ushering several frightened first and second year students back to their dorms.

"'Mione!" a familiar voice called and she looked over to see Harry and Ron hurrying to meet up with her. 

"Any idea what it is?" the lanky red-haired young man asked.

"No, but it sounds as if it's coming from Hagrid's hut," she answered, wondering what unusual creature the friendly half-giant had found this time.

"A fair assumption, Miss Granger," drawled a silky baritone voice from behind.  "Potter. Weasley," Snape acknowledged grudgingly, knowing that if his relationship with Hermione were to continue then he would have to at least make an effort to be civil to her friends. 

"Professor Snape," they all answered in unison. 

Seconds later they were joined by Minerva McGonagall, clad in a tartan cloak and followed by the Slytherin and Ravenclaw prefects.

"Let's go," she said grimly, wand at the ready.

The high-pitched screams continued to pierce the night air and the majority of the group subconsciously pulled their cloaks closer to their bodies as if the material were made of chain mail rather than ordinary wool.  It was a fact that amused the potions master greatly. 

"At least we know it isn't Death Eaters," Harry said quietly to Ron and Hermione.

"Lucky for us that business ended last summer," Ron agreed.

"Perhaps it's something Hagrid brought back with him," Hermione suggested.  "He was away on business several weeks ago."

They all turned upon hearing a derisive snort from Severus Snape.

"Funny though," the Head Girl continued, shooting a fierce glare at the dark man behind them. "Have you noticed how regular the screams are?"

"Regular?" Ron asked in disbelief.  "No. I'm sorry Hermione but I've been too busy covering my ears! That screeching is almost deafening I tell you." 

"Well then, you should have noticed that your hands fly upward to that thing you call a head approximately every two minutes," she snapped and moved ahead of them by a few paces.  It was an obvious indication that she was angry. 

Harry and Ron merely shrugged and looked at one another as if to say, "Not again." A moment later they had caught up with their disgruntled friend and Ron had muttered a sheepish apology. 

Soon they were standing at the door to Hagrid's hut and though they knocked several times, no answer was forthcoming. 

Giving an impatient sigh, Snape stepped forward and muttered a quiet 'alohomora' to unlatch the door.  He disappeared inside but came out moments later. "It's empty," he said at the same moment another scream was unleashed.

"It sounds like it's coming from somewhere behind the hut. Probably near the edge of the forbidden forest," McGonagall noted.

Several gasps were heard from the group of students and without another word, they cautiously made their way toward the indicated area. 

"Look, it's Hagrid!" Ron shouted, pointing to the large form bent over two red-haired individuals sitting on the damp ground.

"Isn't that Fred and George?" Hermione questioned, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Hagrid and the Weasley twins looked up at the sound of the approaching group and just as Fred opened his mouth to bid them hello, an ear-splitting shriek was heard.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron exclaimed, realizing that the shrieking sounds were coming from his brother. 

"Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said, her lips forming a thin tight line. "Kindly explain the nature of this… interruption at once!"

The twins looked at one another and then at the gaping people standing next to them. It was George that was the first to speak up.    

"Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Ron, Harry…" he began but was interrupted by Snape's acerbic tone of voice.

"I think we have all established who is present and who is not Mr. Weasley," he snarled. "Now, if you are finished calling roll then perhaps one of you would be so kind as to answer Professor McGonagall's question so that the rest of us may return to the castle and get some sleep."

"Well you see, we were testing a new product line that we were planning on introducing soon in the joke shop and something went wrong," George explained. He was once again interrupted as Fred let out another screech.

"I knew it was a mistake to let them come the night before graduation," Ron muttered in disgust.  "We should have made them wait and come to the ceremony with everyone else."

Fred shot an indignant look at his brother before sheepishly lowering his head.

"Anyway, we were testing out a new candy… Howling Harpies… but something went wrong when we added the amplification charm," George continued.

"Amplification charm, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall questioned, her lips tightening even more as she heard the smothered giggles of the gathered students.

"Well yeah.  You see the howling harpies are only good for about three screeches… four if you're really lucky, so we thought that we would add a charm to make them really good ones.  Better for business, you know?" Fred nodded his head fervently in silent agreement before letting loose another screech.

Exasperated, Snape raised his wand and pointed it at Fred whose eyes had gone wide in dread of what the potions master might do to him. 

"Silencio," Snape snapped.

Harry could almost have sworn he heard Fred breathe a sigh of relief upon realizing the potions master had merely cast a simple silencing spell. 

"Thanks, Professor Snape," George said quietly. 

"Believe me Mr. Weasley," Snape replied in a very ominous tone, "I only wish that I was able to do more."

Fred's eyes widened at the implied threat just before his mouth involuntarily opened to let out a now-silenced screech.

Hermione turned her head in order to hide her amusement. While she new that Snape would never actually harm Fred, it was still funny to watch the prankster's expression of concern as the potions master loomed over him, wand poised and ready. She was fairly certain she saw the faintest glimmer of amusement in the deputy headmistress' eyes as well.  

"I think we have had enough entertainment for one evening," the transfiguration professor told the group.  "Students will return to their dormitories while Mr. Weasley accompanies his brother to the infirmary."

George and Fred nodded in agreement and followed the students back to the castle. Harry, Hermione, and Ron each bid a quick goodnight to Hagrid and turned to make their own way back to their dorms. 

Just as they were leaving, she caught sight of the briefest of nods from Snape and unobtrusively nodded her own head in reply.  She knew he was asking her if she wanted him to return to her room for the remainder of the night.  She nearly laughed at the formality of it all.  _'As if I would have it any other way.'_  Still, she respected his manners and it was rather nice to be asked her opinion for once rather than being taken for granted all of the time.  Her gaze slid to Harry and Ron as such thoughts rushed through her mind. 

An hour and a half later, after making certain that the students had returned to their dorms safely, Hermione tiredly entered her own room and smiled as she closed the door.

"Hello, Severus," she said quietly, before turning around.  

A slight shimmer appeared in the corner and the form of her beloved potions master, clad only in black silk boxers came into view.  "What gave me away?" he asked with a rueful smile. 

She slowly crossed the room, dropping articles of clothing along the way.  Once she reached him, she looked up with a smile and quietly tapped her finger against the side of her nose.

Snape looked at her questioningly, his confusion evident by the look in his eyes.

"You have a very… woodsy scent about you Severus," she answered, drawing his face closer to her own. "I would know you anywhere, even without the aid of sight."

"We did just come from the forbidden forest you know?" he replied, smirking as she huffed in exasperation. Lowering his head, he covered her mouth with his own in a tantalizing kiss that expressed his feelings where words failed him.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, you do have a graduation ceremony this afternoon and you need your rest," he told her, flicking his wand at the bed so that the covers were neatly arranged.  

They lay side by side, cradled next to one another. Hermione absently noted the magical clock chiming 6:00AM.  It was the last thing she remembered as sleep overtook the two in the bed.

The End

_____________________________________________

Challenge Rules:

~All stories must begin and end with the paragraphs below. Please also follow the same format (paragraph spacing, speaking quotations, etc).  
~All stories must feature Hermione Granger and Severus Snape in some manner.   
~Stories should be **complete** and should not exceed 2,000 words (about 6/7 pages) and must be** SPELLCHECKED**.   
~Stories must take place between the hours of **2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.**  
~Use **only one** of the following in the story:   
Lucius Malfoy   
Mrs. Norris   
Fred Weasley   
Voldemort   
Neville Longbottom   
(All other characters other than this list of five are fair game)   
~Mention **at least** one of these fanon creations/mainstays:   
Dark Revel(s)   
Contraceptive Charm   
Snape or Hermione's personal scent   
Ars Alchemica   
Wizard's Weekly   
Black Silk Boxers 

  
~Story must start with:   

A scream rent the silent night air, startling the young lady in the Head Girl's room awake. Eyes rapidly scanning the room, she searched for the source of the banshee howl. Seeing nothing moving within the room, she gently nudged her companion. Screams in the night were not unusual at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—what with the large population of ghosts and other fantastical beings, but something about this one made her tremble with fear. The one sharing her bed was still sound asleep. He made a sound very much like a sigh and shifted position, but other than that showed no signs of stirring. 

"Wake up!" Hermione Granger said, poking more firmly.

His eyes finally opened, and he opened his mouth as if to speak…

~And must end with:

Sleep overtook the two in the bed.


End file.
